Posts: 1663
Location: Kodiak, AK | First thing you need to do is decide what YOU need; and base that on the water you fish, the type of fishing you do (trolling, casting, walleye, bass tx's, etc). For example, a bass boat won't troll very well. It's not set up for it, you'll get a wet ride on big water, you don't have the seating for it and many or most bass boats don't come with rails for rod holders, let alone kickers. Decide if you fish alone or with someone, or with kids and family. What vehicle do you intend to tow with? How important is speed? Tin vs glass has been discussed on here before and I'm long-winded, so I'll leave that one be for now... So first and foremost, narrow it down to what you need, not what works for the rest of us. Opinions are great and can be valuable, but for me, my water and my style of fishing (casting only) a big heavy bay boat works great. But for my Dad who fishes small water and dirt ramps in northern MN and likes to drag a harness for 'eyes fairly often, it woudln't be ideal; his 16' Lund tiller is. So look at your water and your fishing and settle on a boat style and then start shopping.
As for motors, I say get as big as you can afford. Gas mileage in any outoboard is less than ideal. And personally, gas prices come and go, but a motor is year after year. A smaller motor can actually get worse mileage than a larger motor on the same hull depending on how you run it and prop it. Yes of course there's a difference between a 225 and a 50 hp, but on the same hull, if you're looking at a 200 or a 225 (both two or four stroke), go with the 225.
For your questions comparing a 200 to a 300, you really shouldn't be seeing the same hull set up with a 200 or a 300...if you are, someone isn't rigging a boat properly. Most hulls from the factory will have a 50 hp or so range. Example, the 621 is rated for 300, so I'd expect to see 275's and 250s, but not 200's on it. Anything is possible, but these are generalizations. Then the next consideration is the block the motor is built on. For example, a 620 is rated for 250 so you might see a four stroke Yamaha 250 or 225. Well these are the same motor! (There are small differences in the valve train and fuel delivery, but it's the same powerhead otherwise. My 225 Sport, however is the exact same power head as the 250, but detuned to 225). As such you'll have the same weight, same size, same repair costs, same maintenance and so on. However, if you move up to the 300 on the 621, that's an entirely different line, and are V8's. Then you'd get into more weight, different parts, etc. So don't just assume that a higher hp motor is heavier or sucks more gas...they may be the same exact motor, one is just detuned through the ECU. Look at each motor's respective website and look at their "series" of motors. The big Yamaha four strokes run 200-250 and 300-350. Within each series. The Yamaha SHO's, I'm not 110% sure on, but their HPDI's ran 200-250 as well, all on the same block. You get my drift....
I've not given insurance much thought. My insurance is like $35 a month and going from 200 to 225 I didn't notice any difference so I consider it a non-issue.
Fuel mileage, four strokes generally do better than two's. And in a comparison in the same series, again say Yammi 200 or 225 to 250, it's negligible. You'll still be feeding a big motor. But my 225 four stroke absolutely spanks my 200 two stroke on gas, on the same boat. Speed, you'll pick up a few mph going up in hp as well. It just depends on how important speed is to you.
Trolling motors, get the biggest, strongest you can afford. No exceptions.
For length, I like 20'. I fish alone 99% of the time, so 20' is big enough to run big water, but small enough to not be too much. They make 22' bays and I've seen them and fished them, but my 20'er fits me, my dog, and my water perfectly.
I'd say decide what you need first, then start shopping. Don't let someone sell you a boat with a 50 hp on just for the sake of fuel efficiency, only to realize it's not what you need, and you should've gotten the bigger boat with a 150 but not as good mileagle. Fuel mileage ain't everything...being able to fish where/when/how you want to fish is...that's the whole purpose of a fishing boat. (Fuel is a consideration, but it's one of many.)
These are only my observations from buying and repowering my boats and fishing mine and a few others. I've by no means fished or owned them all. |
